Forster Ajago

Duke UniversityGR-5 | Forward
The sixth Duke player all-time to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors and third consecutive, Ajago led the league in several offensive categories, including goals and total points. The graduate student joined the Blue Devils for the 2023 season after most recently playing for Dayton and made an immediate impact, scoring five goals across two games against Furman and Wofford. The Navrongo, Ghana native tallied at least one goal in all but four of Duke’s matches since mid-September and added multi-assist games in back-to-back matches against Howard and Virginia Tech in late October.

Matthew Bell

Marshall UniversitySophomore | Forward
Matthew Bell was named the SBC Offensive and Player of the Year as he tallied a single-season program record 12 assists and 10 goals for 32 points. Bell, a first-team all-conference honoree, became just the second player in program history to register multiple seasons of 10 or more goals and is the only player in program history to record at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a season.

Kevin Bonilla

University of PortlandJunior | Defender
Kevin Bonilla was an All-WCC First Team selection, an All-West Region First Team honoree and the WCC Defender of the Year, becoming the first Pilot to win the latter since 2010. Bonilla started all 17 matches for the Pilots and notched a goal and 10 assists as a right back, with his assist total being the most by a Pilot since the 2017 season. An engine for one of the best offenses in the nation — one that ranked third nationally in goals per game (2.65) and broke a program record for assists (54) while ranking fourth in the nation in the category — Bonilla led the WCC in assists and ranked eighth nationally. His assists per game (0.59) also ranked 11th nationally. His one goal proved to be the game-winner against San Diego as well. Bonilla was named to the TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News Teams of the Week the week of Sept. 18. Defensively, Bonilla piloted a Portland squad that led the WCC in shutout percentage (.471) and goal-against average (.882), with the Pilots ranking 12th and 24th respectively in those categories. Overall, Bonilla was one of the most vital players in the nation to his team both offensively and defensively.

Yannick Bright

University of New HampshireSenior | Midfielder
Yannick Bright was named the America East Midfielder of the Year for the third straight season. He is only the second student-athlete to win this award three times. He received All-Conference First Team for the third straight time. Bright earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team accolades for the second consecutive season and was selected to the America East All-Academic Team for the second straight season. He started in 19 games with two assists for two points. The Wildcats went 13-3-4 and earned a program-best No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament advancing to the Round of 16.

Jelldrik Dallmann

Southern Methodist UniversityGR-5 | Forward
Dallmann joins the Mustangs with experience in the sport all over the world. Growing up in Germany, he started playing soccer at just three years old. He has four years of experience playing collegiate soccer across four schools in the United States, with the most recent being Lipscomb University. Here, he was named the ASUN player of the year and first-team all-region by the United Soccer Coaches. He posted 11 goals off of 1,056 minutes in play, in which he also logged 23 shots on goal.

Bryan Dowd

University of Notre DameSenior | Goalkeeper
Bryan Dowd has been masterful in goal this season for the Irish, making a claim as one of the top goalies in the country despite playing some of the best attacking units in the nation. The senior ranks fourth in the country in shutouts (10) and seventh in save percentage (.838). The shot stopper has 59 career starts while appearing in 60 matches over his previous three seasons in South Bend. Dowd has amassed 162 career saves and has recorded 23 clean sheets over his time in South Bend. The senior produced his best performance of his career in the 0-0 draw at Akron, making a career-high 12 saves to keep the clean sheet intact. The 12 saves were the most by an ACC goalkeeper in the regular season and the third most of any goalie at the DI level. Dowd also turned in a big performance in the NCAA Championship Round of 16, holding Western Michigan, one of the top attacking units in the country, scoreless despite playing with 10 men for 83 minutes. He finished with seven saves and then made a big save in the first round of the penalty shootout to help the Irish advance to the quarterfinals.

Morris Duggan

Marshall UniversitySenior | Defender
Morris Duggan captained and anchored a defense that had the most shutouts with 11 during the season to earn the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference honors. The senior played over 1,200 minutes on the backline, tallied a pair of goals during the season with one at Georgia Southern (Oct. 1) and one at then-No. 5 WVU (Oct. 18). The German defender also registered a pair of assists with one each against High Point (Sept. 8) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 13).

Eliot Goldthorp

Hofstra UniversityJunior | Midfielder
Eliot was the 2023 Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year, a First Team All-CAA selection, and a member of the CAA All-Championship Team after helping the Pride to a third consecutive CAA title and a third round appearance in the NCAA Championship. He scored eight goals and added a Hofstra single season record 15 assists for 31 points. He led the CAA and currently leads the nation in assists, and ranked second in the conference in points. Eliot, who scored five game-winning goals, was also a two-time CAA Offensive Player of the Week.

Jono Nyandjo

University of North Carolina-CharlotteSenior | Midfielder
Nyandjo had a fantastic November. On Nov. 1, he scored the game-winning 1-0 goal against Memphis on his Senior Night to clinch the No. 2 overall seed and a first-round bye in the conference for Charlotte. On Nov. 8, he was named First Team All-American Athletic Conference, and on Nov. 9, he scored his fourth goal of the season in the 3-1 win over FAU to advance to the conference championship.

Nyandjo really came alive in the second half of the season. After tallying one point through the first six games, the Charlotte, N.C. native has registered nine points in the next seven matches, including goals in back-to-back games against Memphis and FAU and he has logged assists in consecutive games versus Elon and Johnson & Wales. On October 8, he scored a goal and added an assist for a season-high three points in the 2-1 win at South Florida.

Finally on November 12, Nyandjo got to call himself and his fellow Niners conference champions and they stamped their names in history with the 2-1 win over SMU. (The third conference tournament title in program history.) He was also named to the AAC All-Tournament team.

He finished the 2023 campaign with 16 starts in 17 games played. He tallied four goals and four assists and his 12 points were third on the team.

Charlie Sharp

Western Michigan UniversitySenior | Forward
In 20 games played this season, Sharp tallied a career high 19 goals and tied a career high in assists with 8. As of Sunday, November 26, Sharp was ranked 1st in goals with 19, and was tied for 26th in assists with 8. In total, Sharp scored a career-high 7 game winning goals this season and concluded his career as Western Michigan’s all-time leading goal scorer with 42 goals. Sharp will also leave WMU at third on the all-time assist list at WMU with 22.

This year, Sharp was awarded his first career United Soccer Coaches player of the week honor (11/25), his first career College Soccer News National Player of the Week honor (11/20), was awarded Missouri Valley Conference’s offensive player of the week twice and was named to the College Sports Communicators All-District Team.

During the MVC Postseason Tournament Sharp scored a total of four goals in only two tournament matches, equaling the MVC tournament record. Additionally, the forward became the second player in MVC Tournament history to net four goals in two matches, joining Creighton’s Keith DeFini in 1992. Sharp’s efforts on the offensive end awarded him his first-ever Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament MVP honor. Sharp ended his career scoring and or assisting a goal in his final 10 games. He averaged 1.2 goals and 0.7 assists per game in his final 10 game stretch with WMU.

In the NCAA Tournament Sharp scored all three goals in WMU’s first round 3-0 victory over Green Bay. Later in the second round, Sharp would score the game winning goal against #15 Duke in WMU’s 2-1 overtime win. Sharp commanded the Broncos to their win after scoring in the third minute of the first overtime period. The win would advance WMU to their second straight Sweet 16 appearance (first time WMU advanced to the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons).

Jason Shokalook

University of AkronJunior | Forward
2023: Started all 17 games in which he appeared for Akron. Led the Zips in goals (14), assists (5), points (33), shots (83), shots on goal (41) and game-winners (3). Turned in a dominating run of play to close the campaign recording 10 of his team-leading 14 goals over the final nine matches of the season on the strength of team-high marks in goals (10), points (21), shots (54), shots on goal (27) and game-winners (2). Delivered braces in back-to-back-to-back contests against Seton Hall (Sept. 29), Northern Kentucky (Oct. 3) and DePaul (Oct. 7) before connecting on his second career hat trick at Cleveland State (Oct. 10). Posted five of his seven career multi-goal affairs on the campaign. Netted game-winning goals in victories past No. 10 Florida International (Sept. 11), Northern Kentucky (Oct. 3) and Cleveland State (Oct. 10). Posted four or more shots in 13 games, including all but one BIG EAST contest. Registered a season- and career-high nine shots in wins versus Northern Kentucky (Oct. 3) and DePaul (Oct. 7), while adding a career-best seven shots on goal against Northern Kentucky. Ranked first in the BIG EAST in goals (0.82), points (1.94) and shots (4.88) per game as well as leading the league in total goals (14), shots (83) and points (33). In league-only affairs, Shokalook led the BIG EAST in total shots (43), as well as shots (5.38) per contest, while standing second in total goals (6), total points (15) and goals (0.75) and points (1.88) per contest and seventh in assists per tilt (0.43). Ranks second in the NCAA in shots per outing (4.88) and in shots on goal per match (2.41), fourth points per tilt (1.94), fifth in goals per game (0.82), sixth in total points (33), seventh in total goals (14) and 47th in game-winning goals (3). Entered postseason play ranked first in the NCAA in total goals (14) and total points (33), second in shots per outing (5.06) and in shots on goal per match (2.50), third points per tilt (2.06), fourth in goals per game (0.88) and 35th in game-winning goals (3). Rated 14th, 18th, 21st, 22nd and 38th, respectively, among active D1 players in career points per game (1.23), points (74), goals (28), goals per tilt (0.47) and assists (18).

Tyrese Spicer

Lipscomb UniversityJunior | Forward
2023 (Redshirt Junior):
• 2023 ASUN Player of the Year (Unanimous choice)
• 2023 ASUN First Team All-Conference
• 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
• 2023 ASUN Preseason First Team All-Conference
• 14 goals (led the ASUN, Top-5 in the nation) and 3 assists on the season
• At the end of the regular season, led the nation in goals per game, second in the nation in total goals, total points (29) and points per game (2.23)
• Led the ASUN in goals, goals per game, points per game and game-winning goals (3)
• Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week honoree
• TopDrawerSoccer Preseason National Player to Watch
• TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top-100 player, #8

Ousmane Sylla

Clemson UniversitySenior | Forward
Clemson’s Ousmane Sylla has turned in a monster senior season, leading the team in both goals (12) and assists (10) on the season. The Dakar, Senegal native has three games with two goals or more this season, including his first-career hat trick on Senior Night against Boston College. He was named First Team All-ACC earlier this fall for the second-consecutive season and has helped push the Tigers into the NCAA Round of Eight for the third time in five seasons. Sylla also leads the team in game-winning goals on the year, including one against Louisville in October where he deflected a shot off a defender’s face with just five seconds remaining to give the Tigers the win. Sylla also scored Clemson’s only goal in a win over New Hampshire in the Round of 16. He was also named the ACC Tournament MVP in Clemson’s PK win over North Carolina, scoring the Tigers’ only goal in regulation. He was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week once this season and has earned a spot on Top Drawer Soccer’s National Team of the Week five times this year.

Garrison Tubbs

Wake Forest UniversitySenior | Defender
Career Awards
–2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year
–2023 All-ACC First-Team Selection
–ACC Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 17, 2023)
–2023 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
–2023 United Soccer Coaches Watch List: Defenders
–2023 College Soccer News Preseason First-Team All-American
–2023 TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Third-Team Best XI
–2022-23 Edwin G. Wilson Scholar-Athlete of the Year
–2022-23 Walt Chyzowych’s Award for Leadership & Character
–2022-23 ACC Academic Honor Roll
–2022 United Soccer Coaches First-Team Scholar All-American
–2022 United Soccer Coaches All-South Region First-Team Selection
–2022 All-ACC Second-Team Selection
–2022 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
–2022 TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 (No. 94)
–ACC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 13, 2022)
–2021-22 ACC Academic Honor Roll
–2021 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
–TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week (Sept. 21, 2021)
–2020-21 ACC Academic Honor Roll
–2020 All-ACC Freshman Team Selection
–2020 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
–2020 Wake Forest Male Freshman of the Year
–2020-21 TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI First-Team Selection

2023 (Senior)
Started all 18 of his appearances, captaining a Wake Forest team that claimed the program’s fifth ACC Atlantic Division title in nine seasons … Named ACC Defensive Player of the Year … Became the fourth Demon Deacon to earn the ACC’s yearly honor, joining Wake Forest Sports Hall of Famer Michael Parkhurst, 2007 NCAA National Champion Ike Opara and Kevin Politz … Named All-ACC First Team … Was the only defender in the conference to be named to the First Team … Guided a Demon Deacon backline that recorded seven clean sheets – including four against ACC opponents – as Wake Forest allowed less than one goal per match … His goal against Campbell was the fourth of his career, all of which were game-winning strikes … Played 90 or more minutes in 13 matches.

Mads Westergren

Southern Methodist UniversityJunior | Defender
As a junior, Westergren has played and started all games this year. He has scored one goal and logged four assists so far and earned three American Athletic Conference honor roll nods. Entering the season, Westergren was named a Top Drawer Soccer Preseason All-American, Preseason AAC Defensive Player of the Year and Preseason All-American Third Team selections. Following the conclusion of SMU’s regular 2023 season, he earned All-AAC First Team and AAC Defender of the Year honors. He serves as a crucial member of the backline during SMU’s regular season and current NCAA Tournament run.